Donna Jean

Located in a former Chinese restaurant (you can spot it by the entrance’s unique circular archway), this vegan Cal-Italian restaurant in Sherman Oaks comes by way of San Diego. The pizzas and pastas here make for top-notch plant-based comfort food, but there are a few healthier options like the “really good” salad made with roasted garlic vinaigrette and shaved housemade mozzarella. Vegan or not, you’ll want to drink the sunflower seed-based garlic butter, which comes with Donna Jean’s house bread, and you can’t go wrong with any of the desserts, which use coconut cream for that oh-so-dreamy dollop of whipped cream on top. During weekend brunch, you’ll find much of the same savory items, plus a killer cinnamon roll French toast, a tofu scramble and a Just Egg frittata that comes fully loaded with fresh veggies, carrot romesco and pickled onions.